Philippines

Pardoned by Cambodia’s king, the women were caught up in a racket that put the spotlight back on human trafficking. Three children already born will be given up for adoption in the Philippines if the mothers are unable to care for them.

Demand is growing in Europe, especially in the health and long-term care sectors. Migrants’ contribution to the Philippine economy is critical, but they need legal protection and support, as well as repatriation plans in case of need. In 2023, remittances hit a record US$ 37.2 billion, or 8.5 per cent of GDP, the largest amounts coming from the United States, Singapore and Saudi Arabia.

The Filipino migrant sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking arrived in Manila after 14 years in prison. Today she was finally able to see her children. ‘Living behind bars has changed my life, transforming me into a person who has come closer to God’. There have been many requests from the Church and civil society for President Marcos to grant her a pardon, which the Jakarta government will not oppose.

For the third year in a row, the Philippines is the world's leading importer, with domestic production continuing to fall, due, among things, to La Niña. Food absorbs 40 per cent of expenditures among low-income, resulting in greater social inequalities. Consumption has increased from 14.8 million tonnes in 2020-2021 to 17.4 million this year.

Located on Negros Island, Kanlaon is one of the country’s 24 active volcanoes along the Pacific Ring of Fire. Its eruption has led to the evacuation of more than 84,000 people. A blanket of ash and gas fell within a radius of 3 kilometres. Government and dioceses are helping evacuees. For Bishop Alminaza of San Carlos, vice president of Caritas, “we need to support each other”. Lamentably, “We have not been good guardians of nature.”

The death penalty is again a topical issue in Southeast Asia after a Philippine woman sentenced to death for drug possession is set to go home where the death penalty is not in force. Capital punishment is widely enforced in Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam. A call is getting louder for “the protection of vulnerable communities”, with many voices warning that “no justice system is immune to error”.

A Cambodian court sentenced the women to four years in prison, with two years suspended. For the Cambodian government, they were involved in human trafficking, while for the Philippine embassy they are victims. It is unclear what fate awaits the children once they are born. In the past Cambodia forced dozens of surrogate mothers to raise the children, initially intended for other couples.

Promoted by the Mindanao Religious Leaders Conference (MiRLeC), the event has become an annual celebration since 2001. This year’s edition begins today until 4 December, remembering the steps taken after the long war between the central government and local Islamic militias that left over 100,000 people dead. The challenge is to give the Bangasmoro agreement a future. For Bishop Edwin A. de la Peña, prelate of Marawi, peace is choice made through daily actions. A youth leader notes that faith can “transform hearts and communities.”

The feud between the two political dynasties of the Philippines (allies in the last election) have reached an unprecedented level of verbal violence. Vice President Sara Duterte has threatened to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. killed if she is herself eliminated. According to experts, the daughter of the former president, whose approval ratings are rising, is already looking ahead to next year’s midterm elections.

In 2010, Mary Jane Veloso was stopped at Yogyakarta airport because a suitcase she was given to carry contained heroin. Then Philippine President Benigno Aquino III obtained a reprieve 11 hours before the execution was set to take place. Since then, the two countries have been working to bring the 39-year-old woman home.

Caritas and diocesan representatives also joined the global march for climate justice in Quezon City. In the run-up to Cop29, the country hosting the board of the Fund to Support Countries Affected by Climate Change (FRLD) is preparing for the arrival of storm Man-yi, after the passage of Ofel. More than 250 casualties in 2024.

With the tycoon’s return, hundreds of thousands of Asians risk deportation from the United States, along with Latin Americans. The Philippine government is getting ready to assist 370,000 Philippine migrants. Indians are one of the largest groups of asylum seekers, along with the Chinese. Due to a legislative void, many South Koreans adopted as infants until the 1980s are at risk.